Simple solution for veterans from 'Ed the Welder'

Last week in this space, we compared how the medical needs of military veterans and prisoners are being served in San Joaquin County.

Mike Klocke

Last week in this space, we compared how the medical needs of military veterans and prisoners are being served in San Joaquin County.

The main point: Veterans have been left waiting and wanting for quality medical care in up-to-date facilities while a huge, expensive medical complex has been built to deal with prisoner health care needs.

And, yes, we noted that the respective money comes out of different cookie jars, so there is a bit of an apples vs. oranges dichotomy.

Still, the bottom line is that some convicted criminals are treated better than many military heroes when it comes to health care.

Of the responses to that column, one stood out. It was emailed by someone who identified himself simply as "Ed from Lodi." Ed wrote:

"Here's a thought concerning the VA - the new veterans hospital that for all intents and purposes will never be built. Veterans live all over and must travel to Livermore for treatment.

"Could it be that a card could be given to all vets to go to the nearest hospital for treatment? When it comes to convenience, a vet living in San Andreas must travel to Livermore for treatment or see a doctor. Same applies to a vet living in Turlock, a long day especially if the vet is disabled.

"Would it be possible to give the vet a card, similar to the one Kaiser has for all its members, which allows any member treatment at (the hospital)? The veteran can present his card to the nearest facility, log in and let that be the hospital of choice.

"One thing though, I realize that the VA or Medicare might take months or years to pay the bill; streamlining the system would put a stop to that. Oh well, just a thought from an old welder."

Officials and politicians will give you hundreds of reasons why the "old welder's" excellent suggestion cannot be done. But in these times of political quicksand, isn't this the type of thinking that's needed?

Think about it. If you're a vet, and receive VA benefits, then pull out your card and go to Kaiser, Dameron, St. Joseph's, San Joaquin General, Lodi Memorial, etc. It makes so much sense.

Veterans could get their quality health care at hospitals all over the county - all over the country, for that matter. And there would be no need to plan, delay and, alas, possibly not build a facility in French Camp.

For that matter, why not take things another step? Veterans could use their card to receive medical treatment at the new prison hospital - which should be able to spare some room (54 buildings covering 1.4 million square feet) as well as some expense ($839 million to build the facility).

None of this will happen, of course, but the thought process from my anonymous emailer should be applauded.

So let the campaign begin: "Ed the Welder for Congress!"

First, a couple of stipulations:

» As the spouse of a longtime teacher, I can attest that those charged with educating our young do, indeed, dig into their bank accounts to buy badly needed supplies for their classrooms. It's a hardship, but many teachers do it because they care about their students.

» The absolute last thing I would do is criticize someone for making a written mistake. The Record has its share of corrections (published on Page A2 when they happen) and we've been known to mix up "million" and "billion" in stories on occasion.

So it's understandable that Lodi Unified School District made a mistake when putting together a board meeting agenda item. The item stated a 10 percent increase for supplies would amount to a $1.5 million boost. The actual increase was $150,000.

Type-written mistakes happen.

But what's puzzling is how the matter was approved - unanimously - by trustees with nobody from the district stopping the meeting to say, "Whoa, something's wrong here."

Today's front page includes a story by City Hall reporter Scott Smith about the ongoing search for a replacement for City Manager Bob Deis, who will retire in November.

Hiring for this position always is important, but perhaps never more so than this time around.

Stockton's emergence from bankruptcy will be an ongoing challenge, and it's essential that the transition is smooth and doesn't lead to a lot of wheel-spinning.

It's not necessary to hire a Deis clone. Nor would it be advisable to hire someone diametrically different than the current city manager.

The pressure is on the City Council to make a good choice for the citizens. Basically, the city's future - at least short-term future - is at stake.

Contact Record Editor Mike Klocke at (209) 546-8250 or mklocke@recordnet.com.